Adjustable shelving



5 Sheets Sheet 1.

(No Model'.)

H.-J. HOFFMAN.

I ADJUSTABLE SHELVING..

Patented Dec. 30, 1884.

N. PETERS Plmlu'lnlwgn m-r, Washinglnn. u. c

(No Model.) 5 sneets -sn en 2. H. J. HOFFMAN.

ADJUSTABLE S IEIELVI NG.

Patented Dec. 30, 1884,

5 Sheets-$heet- '4.

(No Model.)

H. J. HOFFMAN.

ADJUSTABLE SHELVING.

No 309,951. Patented Dec, 30, 1884.

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H. J. HOFFMAN.

ADJUSTABLE SHELVING.

No. 309,951. Patented Dec. 30, 1884.

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HORACE .I. HOFFMAN, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

ADJUSTABLE SHELVING.

fJPECIFICATIDN forming part of Letters Patent No. 309,951, datedDecember 30, 1884-.

Application filed May 27, 1884. (No model.)

Z aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, HORACE J. HOFFMAN, of Milwaukee, in the county ofMilwaukee, and in the State of isconsin, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Adjustable Shelving; and I do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to combined adj ustable shelving and foldingstaircase; and it consists in certain peculiarities of construction, aswill be more fully described hereinafter.

In the drawings,Figure 1 is a perspecti e view of my combined devicewith the staircase down in position for use. Fig. 2 is a like view of myshelving with the adjustable staircase closed up. Fig. 3 is a brokenvertical section of the gallery, showing the working parts of thestaircase as closed up and open for use, this latter position beingrepresented in dotted lines. Fig. 4 is a broken perspective view showingthe rollershelves for accountbooks, trays,or drawers. Fig. 5 is a likeview illustrating the construction of the shelves and the manner ofconnecting them with the upright posts. Fig. 6 is a detail of the samein section; Fig. 7, a broken vertical sectional view of the same. Fig. 8is a vertical section showing the construction of my Wooden shelves.Fig. 9 is a horizontal sectional view of the same. Fig. 10 is a verticalsectional view showing the modified form of upright posts. Fig. 11 showsa top view of my improved roller-shelf for book trays or drawers. Fig.12 is a broken perspective view of a metallic shelf-plate as viewed fromunder. Fig. 18 is an elevation of the bars used for the sides of theroller-shelves and forthe wooden shelves. Fig. 14 is a sectional viewthrough the shelving, showing a book-tray drawn out of a rollershelf.Fig. 15 shows a part of the tray-roller.

The object of my invention is to provide means whereby shelving forstoves. safe-vaults, libraries, museums, &c., may be put up in place,altered, or modified, or knocked down and packed for storage ortransportation as conveniently and readily as can be done with regard toarticles of common knockdown furniture. This part of my invention is animprovement on the adjustable shelving for which Letters Patent No. 291,513 were granted to me January 8, 1884. As a further improvehas thusbeen necessarily diverted from its use both in the lower and upper tierof the vault. The adoption of my folding or adjusting staircase willabsolutely avoid this loss of shelving-room, and will add to myadjustable shelving a material improvement over the system now ingeneral use.

A A Aindicate the standards which I have devised to support the shelvesin place. Each of these standards consists of two square bars, a a, setone behind the other in the divisionline of the shelves. an airspace,which may be nearly equal in width to the thickness of said bars, beingleft between them for the passage of the fastening bolts used to supportthe shelves on the standards. In place of these spaced bars a a, whichmay be either of wood or metal, I may use the flat bars a, part of oneof which is represented in Fig. 10, and in the central longitudinal lineof these are made the perforations a a which serve the same purpose asthe air space left between the square bars a a.

The shelving, which the standards A of either one of the forms describedabove are designed to support, consists either of the metallicshelf-plates B of the wooden shelves B, orof the roller-shelves B. Thetwo first-mentioned forms are adapted, especially, for the storing ofdeed-boxes, as shown at O O O in Fig. 1, while the roller-shelves aredesigned for books-such as ledgers, record-books,and the likeas shown atA. The shelf-plates B are preferably made of sheet-iron, and are flangedon all sides. The flange b on their front and rear is formed by bendingdownward at right angles a certain portion of their edges. A cut of alength equal to the width of the flange b is made at the opposite endsof the same in the angle it forms with the plate. A portion of saidflange b is bent at right angles inward to form the strengthening-flangeI), and as much of the ends of this latter is out out as stands oppositethe cuts made in the angle formed by the flange 72 and the plate 13, asshown in Fig.12. The flange b of the sides of said plate is then formedby bending downward at right angles also as much of their edges as thecut metal will allow, and, lastly, the ends'b of the flange b are bentinward over the latter, and a round hole, I)", is made in the center ofthese bent ends 6*, to coincide with another hole, b, made at each endof the flange Z)". The perspective view of Fig. 12 shows one corner ofthe plate B in an inverted position, and the flange b as not completelybent in place. In the finished plate, as shown in section in Figs. 6, 7,and 10, it will be observed that the edge of the flanged side 1)projects slightly below.

the lower face of the strengthening-flange b. This is done for thepurpose of providing guides for the deed-boxes and drawers.

The construction of the wooden shelves B is shown in Figs. 8, 9, and 13.A metallic plate, I), having the notches b I) made in its under side, isfastened by means of screws on the edges of the board, which is notchedat suitable points, as at b b", to leave room for the head or threadedend of the bolt 0, by means of whichthe shelves are attached to thestand ards A.

Figs. 4 and 11 illustrate the arrangement of the roller-shelves 13 thelatter showing an improvement onthe rollers described in thespecification forming part of the Letters Patent alluded to above. Thefront and rear bars, b b", are made of strips of sheet-iron bent atright angles inward in the line of their length. They may bestrengthened by bending a portion of their edges inward at right angles,as in the case of the flange Z) on the rear and front of theshelf-plates B, or simply bending said portion flat against the innerface of said edges. As in the shelf-plates B, a cut is made at each endof the angle-bars b b", so as to permit the bending of the vertical endat right angles inward, and of the adjoining horizontal end, also atright angles upward and against each other. The corner so formed ispunched centrally to receive the fasteningbolt 0. The side bars, I) b,are strips of sheet metal, one on each side of the standards A, andperforated or notched in their lower edges, in the same manner as shownin Fig. 18, for the side plates, Z), of the wooden shelves 13. b I) arestrips of sheet metal fastened in the front and rear bars, b" b", andbent in the forms of channels, wherein are journaled the small rollersI) b. \Vhen long rollers Z) are used, they are journaled on the sidebars, I) I), and the channeled bars I) I) are dispensed with.

The head 0 of the bolt C, which I propose to use to support either formof the above de-.

scribed she1ves,is preferably made nearly flat and of a suflicient widthor diameter to cover most of the face of the standard A when the bolt isinserted in place in the open space left between the bars a a of thesame. In cont-inuous shelving, as shown in Fig. 5, each boltserves,obviously,to support on astandard one side of a shelf, and theopposite side of the adjoining shelf, one of said shelves being pressedagainst the standard by the head of the bolt, while a square washer, c,inserted over the threaded end of the bolt 0, is used to press the othershelf against the opposite face of the standard as the polysided nut c"is screwed onto the bolt. In the handling of the roller-shelves thefront and rear bars, I) b", are bolted to the standard; but the nut c isnot tightened until the side bars, I) b", are fixed in place between theperforated ends of the bars b" If" and the standard A, by slipping theirnotches over the bolt. The wooden shelves B are manipulated in about thesame manner-that is, the bolt is put in place with its washer andfastening-nut, and this is tightened in place only after the metallicplate b, screwed onto their sides, has been set in place and its notchedends I) U inserted over the body of the bolt (J, either between the head0 of said bolt and one face of the standard or between the fastening-nut0 and the other face of said standard. In. both cases the tightening ofthe nut 0 will leave the shelves ready for use.

The perspective view of Fig. 5 shows the manner in which theshelf-plates B may bedivided or pigeon-holed as ordinary shelving. Thisdivision is obtained by means of vertical bars, as the one shown inposition at b, and for which rectangular openings b b are made insuitable points close to the edge of the plate B. and in correspondingpoints of its strengthening-flange I). These vertical bars willmaterially add to the rigidity of the shelving, and being removable asthe other parts of the shelving, their position may be readily changed,when desired, according to circumstances.

The construction of my adjustable or folding staircase is fullyillustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, but the sectional view of Fig. 3 shows thedetails of the same.

L indicates the gallery, and M is the floor of the same, in which asufiicient portion is cut out to afford ample walking space therethroughup to the upper part of the shelving. This portion is, however, keptclose, according to requirements,by means of thetrap E,hinged at c inany suitable manner to the flooring M of the gallery at the edge of theopening opposite the one selected for the landing of the staircase. XVhen the hinged trap E isclosed, its free end is supported flush with theflooring by means of the strip 0, fastened in the under face of saidflooring, and a sufficient portion of which is projected over theopening for that purpose.

Firmly bolted onto the upper face of the trap E and at a slight distancefrom its hinge e is the vertical standard F, the upper part of which isfreely connected to one end of the bar G. The opposite end of this baris also freely jointed with either one of the hinged IIO bars H H of thestaircase. The bar selected is preferably the outer side bar, H, as, inwhateverposition the staircase is brought to, the hand-lever K, madeintegral with it or otherwise firmly connected to it, will thereby beclear of the shelving. hinged at h in the flooring of the gallery, justopposite the free end of the trap E, and a suitable slot is made in saidflooring to receive a portion of the hand-lever K or the bent upper endof the stairbar H, of which the said lever may form a continuous part.This 1ever is used to raise the staircase up from above, shown inFig. 1. The stair steps or treads J may be madein any suitable manner;but I prefer to make them in the form described for the shelf-plates B.This enables me to construct a very light staircase, and to, at the sametime, materially reduce the volume of the same. so as to completely hideit when not wanted. To the bars H H, which then are used to support therear edge of the treads .I, I add the bars I 1, parallel to the bars HH, and which support the front edges of the treads J To connect theflanges of the treads to the stair-bars II II I I, I use the same kindof bolts G and nuts 0 as have been described for the attachment of theshelfplates to the standards A. In this case, however, unless it isdesired to have the staircase made absolutely rigid, the nuts 0" arescrewed tight enough onto the bolt 0 to keep the parts suitablyconnected to one another; but they must not work too tight, so as toprevent the hinge move ment of the treads, which will cause thelowerbars, I I, to be brought close against the upper ones, II II, when thestaircase is closed. I may also, in place of the bolts 0, use rods ofsufficient length to hinge both ends of the treads J to their respectivebars.

My system of shelving is of considerable ad vantage in libraries onaccount of the room it saves; and to further adapt the same to that use,I provide book-trays A, as shown in detail in Fig. 14. These are made ofany suitable size according to the size of the books for which they areintended. The books are preferably placed therein with their long edgesdown and with their backs standing up flush with or slightly below theupper edges of the tray-sides. The trays being rolled back in place onthe roller-shelves I), the books are thus kept entirely out of sight andprotected from the light and from dust. \Vhen any book is wanted, thetray containing the same is drawn out in the position shown in Figs. 1and 14, wherein it is retained by means of the stops ct a, fastened intheir sides close to the rear end of the same, as shown in the fulllines of Fig. 14, or else to the bottom of the tray, as shown in dottedlines same figure, or both, which stops, when the tray is drawn out,come in contact with the rear face of the standards A, or with the frontupper edge, I), ot'the rollershelf B (or with both when particularlyheavy books are employed or when a limited given The bars H H areinclination of the tray is desired.) When the bottom stops are employed,the rollers Z) or b may be recessed, as shown at b in Fig. 15, to admitthe passage of the said stops.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combined adjustable shelving and fol ding staircase, flangedmetallic plates adapted by means of bolts and nuts to be attached toperforated or spaced bars, and to be used as shelf-plates orstair-treads, substantially as set forth.

2. In adjustable shelving, a standard to support the shelves, formed oftwo square bars set one in front of the other in the division line ofthe shelves, and having an air-space left between them for the body ofthe bolts used to fasten the shelves thereon, substantially as setforth.

3. In adjustable shelving, the combination, with standards, of ashelfhaving flanged sides with perforations or notches at intervals toreceive the bolts by means of which the shelf is fastened to theshelvingstandard, substantially as set forth.

t. In adjustable shelving, a screw-bolt having a wide head the innerface of which is adapted to press the inner face of the flange or plateof one side of the shelf against the corresponding face of a standard,while a nut screwing on the threaded end of the bolt presses the innerface of the flange or plate of the opposite side of the adjoining shelfagainst the other face of the standard, substantially as set forth.

5. In adj ustable shelving, in combination with a standard having spacesor perforations for the admission of fastening bolts, shelfplates havingsuitable perforated flanges on their sides,or roller frames or woodenshelves, both of which are provided with notched or perforated plates ontheir sides, and a wideheaded screw-bolt adapted by means of a nut or ofa nut and a washer to press and support against the opposite faces ofthe standard one side of one shelf and the opposite side of the othershelf, substantially as set forth.

(3. In adjustable shelving, the combination of the flanged shelf-plates,having rectangular slots cut close to their front edge and incorresponding points of their strengthening-flange, and of bars adaptedto be fitted through the plate-slots, whereby, as pigeon-hole divisionsare made in the shelf, the strength of the same is materially increased,substantially as set forth.

7. In combined adjustable shelving and folding staircase, thecombination, with a trap hinged in the flooring of agallery, and adapted to stand in the plane of the flooring when desired, of a staircasehinged in said flooring opposite the free end of the trap, and adapted,by means of connection with the said trap, to raise up the latter whenthe staircase is itself lowered down for use, while the closing of thestaircase will at the same time lower the trap to be used as part of theflooring and remove said staircase out of the way, substantially as setforth.

8. In adjustable shelving, the standards A, consisting of two spacedbars, a a, substan tially as shown and described, and for the purposeset forth.

9. In adjustable shelving, the shelf-plate B, having flanges b I) on itsfront and rear, and guide-flange b on its sides, and perforations Z) I)at the ends of'both, substantially as shown, and for the purpose setforth.

10. In adjustable shelving, in combination with the standards A, havingspaces or perforations for the admission of fastening-bolts, the shelvesB B B having perforated or notched flanges on their sides, the bolts 00, having wide heads 0 and threaded ends, the nuts 0, and square washersc interposed between the nuts and the shelf-flanges. substantially asshown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

11. In combination with the standards A, having spaces or perforationsfor the admission of the fastening-bolts, the roller-shelf frame Bhaving front and rear angle-bars, b" I), side bars, I) b", perforated ornotched in their ends, and rollersjournaled in said frames,substantially as shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

12. The combination of the tread J, bolt C. washer c, and nut 0 with thestairbars H H I I, substantially as shown and described, and for thepurpose set forth.

18. The combination of the shelf-plates B, having the flanges b I) andrectangular perforations b" b", with the dividing bars I), substantially as shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

14. In combined adj ustable shelving and folding staircase, thecombination of the gallery-flooring M, having trap E, hinged at 0, withthe stair'bars H H I I, having treads J J, the hand-lever K,connecting-bar G, standard F, and stop a, substantially as shown anddescribed, and for the purpose set forth.

15. In adjustable shelving, in combination with the standards A androller-shelves B, the book-trays A, having retaining-stops a a",substantially as shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, atMilwaukee. in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, in thepresence of two witnesses.

HORACE J. HOFFMAN.

Vitnesses:

S. S. S'roU'r, H. G. UNnERwoon.

